However, if you need to lose weight,  (especially if you have a lot of weight to lose, have had trouble losing weight or are pre-diabetic or diabetic) you will most likely find that a balanced diet will not give you the results you want. 

You see, by definition, on a balanced diet you are eating equal portions of fat, protein and carbohydrate. You just eat less. So, on a 1200 calorie diet you would have about 400 calories of fat, 400 calories of protein and 400 calories of carbohydrates. The problem is your body greatly prefers to burn carbohydrates for energy. When the 400 calories of carbohydrate you eat are used up then your body will burn the stored carbohydrates (called glycogen) for the rest of its daily needs. In other words you burn very little fat. 

So what do you do?

You eat an unbalanced diet. The amount of protein you need per day is consistent and dependant on your body weight. For an average 200 pound person its about 500 calories of protein per day. Then you add a few teaspoons of olive oil along with 2500 mg of fish oil to provide very high quality fat (amazing – you need good fat to burn the bad fat) which is about 115 calories and then you add about 250 calories of carbohydrates (mostly in the form of fresh veggies). 

So, now you have a total caloric intake of only around 830 calories. But you have the right amount of protein so you don’t lose muscle mass. In other words you are eating a low calorie, low fat, low carb, normal protein diet and creating at least a 1200 calorie deficit a day (since the average person uses about 2000 calories per day just to live). 

Now your body uses up the carbohydrates you eat, then it uses up (in about three days) the stored carbohydrates, and then what’s left? That’s right – all that’s left is your body fat and so now you fuel your body (remember you still need 2000 calories a day) by using the 800 calories you eat and 1200 calories of your own body fat.  That’s how you lose your stored belly or hip fat.